


the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

by irlkaijugroupie



Series: veni, vidi, amavi [1]
Category: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), 3001: The Final Odyssey - Arthur C. Clarke, Space Odyssey Series - Arthur C. Clarke
Genre: Bittersweet Ending, Developing Relationship, Domestic, F/M, M/M, Multi, Polyamory, changing how halman communicates and shit for convenience, dave and hal are halman, halman has feelings, halman talks to people other than frank, i dont wanna add too many shipping tags but its basically one big poly mess, im p sure this is the first 3001 fic on ao3, indra is a little shit, mostly ted khan centric, ted is a dumb gay who crushes on every guy he meets, yaaay making history babeyy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-18 21:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16126829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irlkaijugroupie/pseuds/irlkaijugroupie
Summary: The life and times of one Ted Khan, all starting with a dumb crush he has on Frank Poole and the little extra effort Halman decides to put into communicating with others.





	the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

**Author's Note:**

> YEEHAW this got out of hand huh
> 
> anyways enjoy i guess??? basically a weird au where theres lots of weird crushes and funky stuff, basically canon compliant up until frank goes to ganymede
> 
> the pacing is really janky and it switches scenes a Lot but eh whatever i dont care i dont wanna look at this anymore
> 
> enjoy?

**ted khan's apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Indra’s voice through the call was unbearably smug. “You have a crush on Frank, don't you?”

 

Ted choked on his drink and wheezed loudly as he banged his fist on the table. He knew that the call was recorded and that she had no idea what he was doing, but he could practically hear her laughing.

 

“I was just listening to his call about you. He was talking about how he could 'barely get a word in’, and how you're overpowering even in regular conversation.” Ted knew where this was going. “Now, I know you.” She laughed and though Ted was incredibly relieved she didn't actually _state_ the source of his current shame, he was still embarrassed. Groaning, he dragged a hand down his face.

 

He wanted to respond badly, but his brain couldn't seem to form words, so he instead sulked around his apartment, drinking shitty juice and wallowing in his own embarrassment. It was dead silent, and he thought about Frank - polite, enthusiastic, sweater-wearing Frank. He lasted fifteen minutes in the silence, setting up a call in defeat.

 

“Hey Indra, first of all, I hate you. Second of all, I just spent fifteen minutes or so drinking all my juice because I was thinking about your call so, uh, you owe me juice.” He thought for a second. “And, um, third of all, aren't you two dating? What the fuck?” He sent the call on impulse without properly signing it, and after he did, he sighed, letting his arms go limp, and he waited for her reply, the silence even more unbearable because he ran out of his _fucking_ juice!

 

**a university owned olive grove, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Ted met with Frank the next day, and it was just as refreshing as the last one, but also more frustrating. Frank was wearing a dark brown coat and a purple sweater, and everything that came out of his mouth was smart and polite and inquisitive and _interested_ . He was amazing and intellectually stimulating to talk to, and _Deus_ , Ted was enamored. (He could see why Indra liked him so much.)

 

Frank had asked about his old friend, Dave, and so Ted had told him all that he had found, and Frank _listened_. He listened and smiled and he politely asked if he could eat an olive growing from one of the grove’s trees and never in his whole life had Ted hated himself more.

 

“It’s rather interesting to see people passionately write great works and masterpieces on their faiths, though it only furthers - in my eyes at least - to further prove my point.” Ted paused very briefly to push his glasses back up on his head as they sat in the olive grove, Frank sitting on the seat and Ted on the back - as he usually did, though it was a strange habit. “To put total dedication and pour your heart into something so uncertain is a mark of insanity, is it not? It could even be seen as a mark of paranoia or fear - which is all religion is, in fact. A product of paranoia.” Frank leaned forward and tented his hands, but Ted didn’t even pause to see if he was going to say something. “It is frequently said that great suffering brings on the most moving and emotional art after all. Not that everyone must be suffering in religion, for example, let's take Rabbi Berenstein. According to you he was quite cool and level headed, but there are some things in some societies that others would frown at, such as eating some unusual food. All societies have their built in insanities.”  
  
“Would-” Frank started, and Ted looked at him. “Would you say that even this one has its own insanities?”

 

Ted chuckled, and held out his open palm in a gesture not unlike if he was pointing at Frank. “Well, look at you. There are aspects of this society that you find strange, but not bad, and those you do not like.” Frank nodded. “So,” Ted continued. “I would say yes, and while I would like to say we are getting better with decreasing that fact, it is very likely that it is simply something inescapable.”

 

Frank smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I’d like to think that they don’t go away, they just change. A lot of them could be utterly unnoticeable.”  
  
Ted had cooled down a bit from his ‘lecture high’ and nodded. “Yeah I uhm-” And with his energy went his coherent speaking. “I definitely agree.”

 

They were walking through the streets of Anubis City from Hotel Grannymede to Ted’s apartment, and Frank seemed less interested in talking than looking around. He towered over Ted as they walked through streets, and Ted kept stealing glances over to Frank, seeing his looks of wonder, his small smile, and the voice in Ted’s head screamed at him to ask, ask, ask, about Frank’s time and life before he was left in space and - he didn’t even notice that Frank had asked him a question. The brown haired man was looking at him expectantly, and mildly concerned too, and Ted flushed.

 

“Oh, sorry I was distracted, what did you ask?” He stuttered slightly, and Frank smiled just a tiny bit and - Deus, he had known the man for two days, he was hopeless.

 

“What do you do on a day to day basis around here, other than what you’ve told me already?” Frank repeated without a hint of exasperation.

 

“Well, I usually eat at home and,” he pointed to a shop down the road. “I drink a lot of juice from there, if you want to go there and I uh-” Ted realized with a start that they had passed right past his apartment. “DEUS!” He turns around and runs to the right building. “My apartment is right here Frank!” He fumbles with the key a little bit. “Sorry, uh-”  
  
Frank is right behind him, with a comfortable jog, and he just laughs lightly. “It’s fine!”

 

And then they’re in his apartment and talking again, long and passionate, and Ted is constantly aware of him talking more and more, and stuttering, and he feels like he’s going to explode as Frank replies to his long and rambling talk about some obscure issue with ease and grace. The water goes terribly down Ted’s throat and he never even realizes that he had apologized four times for his lack of juice.

 

When he admits this to Indra later, she makes fun of him and how he spared Frank by giving him water and none of his shitty juice, and though Ted is embarrassed to hell and back - as he heard Frank say once in passing - it just feels wrong without her laughing.

 

**various locations, 30xx**

 

From the hints that Indra had given him about Ted Khan, a short, square-jawed freckled Nordic blond with grey-blue eyes and tan skin which made his blond hair look too pale in comparison who sat on the back of chairs with his feet on the seat and rambled and had his trash cans filled with empty bottles of cheap juice was _not_ what he expected. But it wasn’t an unpleasant surprise.

 

He was intellectually like a knife, his words sharp and, while rambling and longwinded, were smart and well thought through. He definitely had a respect for those of differing opinions than him, despite his cutting arguments, and he was talkative, to the point of overpowering, and furthermore, he was _convincing_.

 

Convincing enough for Frank to leave to Europa a week later.

 

When he saw Ted again (after he had returned from Europa, but right before he returned to Earth) his jaw was clenched and his eyes were pulled tight in frustration and his blond hair was slightly frazzled and his arms were crossed in front of his chest in almost an endearing way. Frank was a bit sheepish to talk to him, but when he talked about Halman, Ted had listened with rapt attention, and was immediately interested in talking to them.

 

When he had gone back to Earth, he was incredibly relieved to be back with Indra again (oh, he loved her and her smile and haircut and her knowledge and her charming laugh) but he also found himself missing Ted (with his passionate lectures and tastefully messy appearance and small stature).

 

But, hey, he received nearly constant calls from Ted, and maybe that was enough for now.

 

**exit of a hangar, africa tower, earth, 30xx**

 

“How was Ganymede?” Indra asked Frank almost as soon as he left the ship - but after the very long hug they shared.

 

“It was interesting,” Frank replied, but when he saw Indra looking at him, he immediately did a double take. “In a good way!” Indra laughed. “Ted was fun to talk to,” Frank continued, quite evidently fond of Ted despite only knowing him for about a week.

 

“Really?” Indra asked, smiling fondly. “I was worried he'd bore you.” Frank shook his head.

 

“No, not at all. He brought up interesting topics,” As Frank said that, Indra began to glare at him.

 

“Ah yes, speaking of those interesting topics,” she spoke slowly, and Frank chuckled sheepishly. “How was Europa? Was Halman’s company good?”

 

Frank nodded, his smile growing at the mention of Halman. “They’ve changed some, but I think I've gotten used to it. They're good to be around.”

 

Indra smiled. “That's great!” She turned away and began to look down the hallway. “I hope I can talk with them some day.”

 

**frank poole and dr. indra wallace’s apartment, africa tower, earth, 30xx**

 

“Have you gotten any messages from Ted Khan? He’s a friend of mine, a philosopher,” Frank faced the apparition in the apartment bedroom, though Halman’s voice echoed through the braincap. Halman’s form rested on the edge of the bed, anywhere below the shoulders melting into the surroundings, and anywhere above the shoulders looking exactly like Dave Bowman in his red spacesuit, except the entirety of the area from the mouth, wrapping around the eyes, and up into the hair was replaced with pure black, with a small red-orange light in the middle. The black void would drip out in no particular direction, like it was melting in no gravity.

 

“Yes I have,” they responded, “however I do not wish to reply to them.”  
  
Frank frowned a very slight bit. “Why not?” He had seen some of the questions Ted had sent Halman, and they were very well thought through and interesting questions.

 

“I am not comfortable with interacting with any humans other than you,” Halman admitted after the traditional pause. “You are a constant, and you are familiar. It will take quite a bit to bridge that gap.”  
  
Frank hummed. “Would you like to?”

 

“Eventually, yes.” They were very slightly hesitant. Frank found it endearing.

 

“Maybe I can help you, Halman,” Frank offered, his tone light and friendly. He was excited at the thought of introducing Halman to Indra and Ted. A melancholy part of him wishes Halman could have been able to meet Dim, but he shakes the thought away quickly.

 

“I would appreciate that Frank.”

 

**an undetermined restaurant, africa tower, earth, 30xx**

 

“...And that’s how we broke out of the recurring loop of wars,” Indra concluded triumphantly, and Frank smiled widely.

 

“That’s very interesting, Indra!” He grinned and passed her some food from his plate to hers. “Thank you!”

 

Indra nodded, a smile also on her face. “Of course, of course.”

 

The two ate in comfort, their conversations bouncing from one area to another, from Frank talking about ice cream shops as a kid, to Indra disclosing an embarrassing Ted story from earlier in her life.

 

“How’s Halman doing?” She asked after Frank finished talking about music radio stations.

 

“They’re doing well,” Frank said in between bites of sushi. He leaned in close to Indra and lowered his voice, and she began to grin. “They’re thinking about beginning to talk with humans other than me.”

 

Indra grinned and rubbed her hands together. “Oooh! Will they any time soon? And who?”

 

Frank laughed slightly. “They were hesitant about admitting it to me, so I’d say not any time soon, unfortunately.” He smiled. “Though you were on the interest list.”

 

Indra beamed, and Frank’s heart warmed.

 

**ted khan’s apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Ted desperately hopes that the crush he has on Frank is a temporary thing, that he’ll get over it, because it’s ridiculous, but just to his luck, he doesn’t.

 

Almost three years after Frank went to Europa and found Halman, he and Indra had called Ted, letting him know that they were heading over for a week long visit on Ganymede. They had originally told him that they were booking a space in the Grannymede, but Ted had invited them to stay in his house.

 

So he wasn't very surprised when they knocked on his door one day, and he eagerly invited him in.

 

“Please tell me you bought some actually decent juice for us,” Indra said exasperatedly, and then sighed loudly when Ted shook his head. Frank laughed and Ted flushed at the sound.

 

“Do whatever you want in here,” Ted said as he spread his hands. “It's your place too until you leave, and whenever you want to visit.”

 

“Thanks Ted,” Frank said with a wide smile, and Ted thought he was going to catch on fire. He then saw Indra grinning at him from behind Frank and he glared at her.

 

Later that night, after a pleasant day of chatting (and Frank immediately going to buy better juice after he tasted Ted’s), Ted had retired to his bed, and Frank and Indra to the couch, which pulled out.

 

Indra shuffled under the covers and hugged Frank, who hugged back. After a couple of minutes, however, Indra began to notice that Frank was having a hard time falling asleep. She turned to look down at his fluffy brown hair, and patted him slightly on the shoulder. “Hey Frank,” she whispered, and he looked up at her slightly. “You’re fidgeting. What’s wrong?”

 

Frank sighed deeply, and snuggled up closer to her, his arms hugging her tighter. “Nothing too bad it’s just…” He pursed his lips, embarrassed.

 

“Ooh,” Indra smiled a little bit. “Is it something embarrassing or legitimately bad?”

 

Frank shuffled a little bit. “Hmm… more embarrassing.” He paused for a minute, thinking about what to say. “If I remember right, you had two girlfriends for a while in college, right?” Indra nodded, then slowly began to grin wide.

 

“Ooooh,” She giggled. “OOOH,” she began nudging Frank as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. “You like Ted don’t you,” she said, grinning widely.

 

“Indra oh my g- ahem, deus,” Frank murmured into her neck and Indra cackled.

 

“Hey, don’t worry too much,” Indra patted him sympathetically. “I’m sure you’ll be fine. Now let’s sleep, we don’t want to be dead on our feet, especially you.”

 

The next week was very nice for all three doctors, and they loved to frequent the olive groves and wander the neighborhoods talking about something wild and obscure. However, there was a growing tension among them, both Frank and Ted kept talking to Indra about the other, and how their company was nigh unbearable because of unadmitted feelings. Indra thought it both funny and ridiculous at the same time.

 

They were about to board the ship to return to Earth when Frank told Indra that he was going to kiss Ted right as they were going to leave.

 

“Seriously Frank? You’re gonna make him catch on fire in the middle of the port,” Indra laughed, and Frank laughed too, but more out of nervousness.

 

And so here they were, about to board, with Ted hugging both Indra and Frank, and watching them turn around to leave, waving sadly in their direction.

 

Until Frank turned back around and walked toward him again.

 

“Frank wha…” Ted’s voice trailed off when Frank breathed in deeply and placed his hands on Ted’s cheeks. Ted was frozen as Frank took a second to steel himself, before leaning in for a very quick, chaste kiss. Before Ted was able to even come to his senses, Frank immediately turned back and ran towards the ship, where he and Indra waved at the frozen, red-faced Ted before boarding the ship.

 

Indra shot him a big grin, and he immediately snapped back to reality in order to scowl in her direction.

 

**various locations, 30xx**

 

The next eight months or so were very pleasant for the three. After some badgering by Indra, Frank had sent a call to Ted explaining his feelings, and pretty soon he had gained a partner. Indra and Frank were nearly constantly calling Ted, and their calls would be long and winding despite the slight time barrier.

 

Frank had never felt more loved, and more loving. He had two wonderful partners whom he loved so much, and he had a close friend in Halman. (Though sometimes he wondered if Halman appreciated his company as much as Frank did theirs. While it never got him down too much, whenever he had talked to them, the thought would linger for an hour or so afterwards.)

 

Despite its small discrepancies, though, Frank was living his best life. Sometimes he would stay up too late because Ted sent him an especially long call, or sometimes his legs would hurt as he ran from restaurant to restaurant to provide Indra with a big nice meal when she got done with work, but it was always worth it.

 

However, like all things in life, it was going to change. Luckily for him, it was for the better.

 

**frank poole and dr. indra wallace’s apartment, africa tower, earth, 30xx**

 

Frank woke up one night in a sudden jump, sweating and gasping for air. He felt an odd, cool sensation around him, like wind gently blowing and cocooning around him. Rubbing his eyes, he squinted and saw a familiar red light.

 

“Halman!” He half-whispered in surprise. Halman silently raised a finger as if he was shushing Frank and pointed to Indra’s sleeping form on the other side of the bed. Frank sighed and relaxed, leaning back into Halman’s mist. “What happened? Why are you here?” He whispered.

 

He didn’t have his braincap on, so Halman’s voice echoed quietly through the digital clock on Frank’s bed stand. “You were having a nightmare, I assume. Your sleep was restless.”

 

“Oh,” Frank sighed. “Oh.” He tried to settle into his bed, but Halman’s mist was cradling him, and he flushed slightly. “Thank you.”

 

Halman stared at him for a second. “I apologize if I’m too close,” they said, and they began to pull away, and all of a sudden it was too cold and too harsh, and Frank flung his hands up.

 

“No! No,” Frank said hoarsely. “Don’t… Don’t leave.”

 

Halman returned to their spot around him, and they sat in the comfortable silence for a bit until Halman looked over at Indra. “What…” They began. “What is she like?”

 

Frank turned his head towards his now-wife and smiled. “She’s a historian that specializes in our century, and… ah, she’s great. She’s very smart but she’s not pretentious or uptight about it, and she has a lovely sense of humor. She’s very open and respectful of my - ah - culture shock, and she can be quite teasing at times,” His voice was gentle and fond.

 

He looked at Halman and saw that Halman was looking at him. They hesitated, before saying “She sounds lovely. I would love to meet her.” Frank smiled, and they lapsed into gentle silence again. Frank closed his eyes and felt the mist swirl around him, not quite corporeal but very firm. It was cool, but comforting, like a gentle breeze on a hot day, and he felt blissful wrapped up in it. He began to wonder if Halman was wrapping him in his hands, or hugging him, but the more he thought the more embarrassed he got. He then heard Halman begin to speak again, and he opened his eyes.

 

“Frank…” They began.

 

“What is it Halman?” Frank asked, concerned.

 

“We are not human,” they began, slowly, carefully thinking about what to say. “But slowly we have begun to realize that we still feel. It is not like the chemical feelings of humans, but it is something far higher, far more… celestial. It is different, but it is there. And we have been slow in our awareness of it. Do you understand?”

 

Frank thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yes… I think I do.”

 

“Then you should know that we are fond of you. You are familiar and easy to go to, and it is… reassuring,” Halman admitted. “It is pleasing in a cosmic way, and we can safely say that we do care for your presence as you do ours.”  
  
Frank began to flush, and he couldn't stop his mouth from forming a silly smile. “Aw, uh, thanks Halman. That is very nice to hear.”

 

Halman’s mist gently lowered Frank into the bed, but stayed wrapped around him. “We are glad. Now, sleep.”

 

When Frank woke up, Halman was gone.

 

**frank poole and dr. indra wallace’s apartment, africa tower, earth, 30xx**

 

Right as Indra was going to bed, an hour or so after Frank, she heard a faint static emitting from her braincap. Confused, she quickly picked it up and put it on.

 

“Hello, Dr. Wallace,” a cool, monotone voice replaced the static, and Indra grinned.

 

“I'm going to assume this is Halman,” Indra said excitedly.

 

“Yes,” they said, and she saw an apparition slowly form in front of her, and it was still incredibly strange, despite Frank’s detailed descriptions of them. “After long deliberation, we've decided to talk to you, as you are closest to Frank. And we are going to assume that you know why.”

 

Indra nodded. “Yeah, I know why.” She shuffled to become more comfortable. “It's nice to finally talk to you,” she said in a friendly tone.

 

The apparition nodded. “Yes. Frank has told us that you are a historian specializing in the time before we joined the monolith. What do you know?”

 

Indra grinned and begin to talk. Halman listened - though whether they were eager, or even comfortable, was to be debated. It took a bit for them to start asking questions and lightly correct her, and after an hour they were both active in the conversation. Indra felt great. Frank was right, Halman was incredibly fun to talk to.

 

After almost two hours, Halman abruptly paused, and said “You should sleep. It is rather late for you.” Indra nodded, and tucked herself into the covers. “We apologize for keeping you up.”

 

Indra shook her head. “Nonsense. You are a joy to talk to and I look forward to talking to you again,” She smiled.

 

Halman's apparition began to dissolve. “Thank you. We are glad.”

 

And then they were gone. Indra smiled and went to sleep.

 

**ted khan’s apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Indra’s voice was incredibly excited through the call. “ _Ted_ , I talked to Halman!”

 

Ted almost dropped his juice.

 

“Halman said that they were very slowly going to talk to people other than Frank, to get more acclimated to humans, and _Deus_ they are so fun to talk to!” Ted bounced his legs in excitement as he listened. “I’m gonna try to convince them to talk to you as the next human they talk to,” she said, and Ted let out a loud cheer.

 

And so Halman’s conversations with Indra along with Frank - and sometimes with both, at the dinner table or some place like that - was added to the list of topics Ted heard in their calls. And, oh Deus it was very nice to just spend time listening to them talk about Halman, even though he wished that Halman would maybe meet him too.

 

Turns out he only had to wait half a year more.

 

It was 2 in the morning, and Ted couldn’t sleep, despite being incredibly tired. So tired, in fact, that when he went into the kitchen to grab a glass of juice and turned around to go back into his room, he didn’t even jump at the sight of Halman silently weaving themselves through his apartment.

 

He dragged a hand down his face. “Please tell me I’m hallucinating.”  
  
Halman’s voice emitted from Ted’s television. “You are not hallucinating, Dr. Khan.” The voice was cool and in a gentle baritone. It… wasn’t unpleasant.

 

Ted tiredly chuckled and took a sip of his juice. “Have you finally decided to talk to me?” He sat on one of the chairs by the kitchen.

 

“Yes,” they replied, “Though I apologize that I cannot come at a more convenient time.”  
  
Ted waved a hand in their general direction. “Nah, it’s fine,” he took another sip of his juice. “What do you wanna talk about?”

 

“Frank informed me you were a philosopher,” Halman said, “And you had, in fact, sent me some questions before. Perhaps we can talk about such topics.”

 

Ted grinned. “Why of course!”

 

The next morning, Ted woke up on the couch, with three empty glasses stacked on the coffee table. He remembered talking to Halman about the Church controversy and then nothing after that, so he (rather worriedly though) assumed that he had probably gotten so tired he passed out in the middle of talking.

 

Though, he remembered sitting in a chair, not on the couch. Ted laughed as he washed the glasses. Halman was quite polite, indeed!

 

**a call sent from africa tower, earth to anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

So, Ted, you finally met Halman, eh? I’m so glad you like talking to them, though the fact that they just appeared in your apartment at 2 am is the funniest thing ever.

 

As for me, I’m not doing much. Indra’s at work still, and I just finished the book I was reading, so I don’t really have anything to do.

 

Though, not to scare you, it’s nothing bad, but when Indra gets home we want to talk to you about something we want to do - if you don’t mind of course. Don’t worry, it’s nothing really bad or catastrophic! It’s something rather good, in fact. Very good.

 

Stay safe until then! And maybe take a nap to make up for lost sleep.

 

Love, Frank.

 

**ted khan’s apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Ted was crying. Don’t worry, he was crying in a good way! He was very happy, in fact. So happy he could practically feel his heart swell with sheer happiness as he sat on his couch and sobbed (probably into his drink too).

 

Frank and Indra were having kids! He couldn’t believe it. He was so proud of them both, and he couldn’t wait to have honorary children.

 

“Is this a bad time?” Ted turned, and saw Halman floating next to his couch. Ted let out a short laugh, then wiped at his eyes.

 

“No, no, not at all.” Ted grinned. “Frank and Indra are having kids!”  
  
“Ah yes, they are,” Halman said. “We assume that you just received the news?” Ted nodded, and Halman dipped their head.

 

“What do you wanna talk about today?” Ted asked. Halman blew themselves until they were facing Ted.

 

“Perhaps we could finish our last talk,” Halman said. Ted laughed.

 

“Oh, yeah!” He chuckled. “I have a blank in my memory, what happened, did I pass out?” Halman nodded, and Ted smiled. “Sorry about that, Halman.”  
  
“It is quite alright, Ted.”  
  
“Thank you for setting me on the couch, though,” Ted said, smiling. “Now, let’s talk, shall we? Where was I?”  
  
Halman told him, and so they talked.

 

**various locations, 30xx**

 

Over the nine months until the birth of the kids (twins!), Ted began to talk to Halman increasingly frequently on top of Frank and Indra. It had taken a couple of weeks for Ted to get used to the eerie red light in the middle of the black void that replaced their face, but once he did, he began to see beauty within it. Sometimes he found himself staring at the small parts of the blackness that would escape the confines of their face, dripping out and floating like they were in a no gravity area, almost hypnotizing in the way it moved. The red light that split the blackness slowly changed from eerie to almost comforting, and Halman’s surprise appearances became commonplace.

 

He had admitted this to Frank, who had only responded with fond agreement, and a reassurance that Halman does indeed care and have emotions. It brought Ted a quiet comfort, a different kind of comfort that he got from a friendly debate with Halman, but not at all unwelcome.

 

Then the children had arrived and Ted received so many images via Halman and he went right back to crying into his juice out of sheer joy.

 

**a call sent from anubis city, ganymede to africa tower, earth**

 

Hey Frank and Indra, and hey Dawn and Martin - I love all of you!

 

Happy fourth birthday to both of you two little monsters, Deus, you grow up so fast! Don’t worry though, I haven’t found any grey hairs yet, though the same probably can’t be said for your parents.

 

Speaking of your parents - hey you two! Love from Ganymede!!! I am doing quite alright and I am very excited to see you all again, and though I know not much can be done about it, I am beginning to resent the time it takes to get to here from Earth. I suppose I’ll just have to appreciate your company more!

 

See you all soon!  
  
Love, Ted

 

**a ship flying from earth to ganymede, the poole-wallace family’s private quarters, 30xx**

 

The kids were sleeping with Indra, but Frank was wide awake. Halman was spreading their mist through the room, mussing with Indra’s hair. Frank watched fondly as he spoke with them.

 

“My life has been incredibly strange,” Frank commented offhandedly. “I can’t say I’m complaining though,” he chuckled.

 

Halman shifted slightly. “Indeed. Our life has taken a turn for the strange too.” Frank laughed.

 

“You don’t say!” He joked in good spirits. Then the room fell into comfortable silence once again. Halman slowly reached out to card their mist through Frank’s messy brown hair and Frank sighed contentedly.

 

“You should sleep, Frank,” they said. “You will need rest.”  
  
Frank smiled. “Alright Halman…” And so he slept.

 

**ted khan’s apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Ted had just woken up, leaving his bedroom for the living room, stretching and yawning. He spotted Halman on the couch and a silly grin broke out on his face. “Hey Halman!” After going over to the fridge to grab a glass of juice, he sat down comfortably on the couch next to Halman.

 

“Hello Ted,” Halman replied in a relaxed tone, and the two sat in silence as Halman ran their partially corporeal fingers through Ted’s light blond hair.

 

“Hey Halman,” Ted began, and Halman turned to look at the small man. “When are Frank and Indra arriving?”

 

“Hm.” Halman thought, and it quietly astounded Ted how they can see so much within only a second, perhaps not even that. They _exuded_ power, but they were not intimidating to Ted. Not anymore at least. “They will arrive later today, at about nineteen hundred.” It took Ted a second to understand the time, but when he did he smiled.

 

“Thanks Halman.” His voice was filled with fondness, and he smiled as Halman’s misty body curled around him.

 

After a couple of minutes of silence, Ted spoke up once again. “Halman… if you don’t mind me asking, but…” Ted rubbed the back of his neck. “Why did you put so much effort to talking to humans in the first place? I mean,” Ted gestured to the air. “You’re a thousand years old, and you’re a tool of the monolith, and you’ve told me several times that you are sure you aren’t going to die any time soon. So…” He hesitated. “What will you do once we die?”

 

Halman paused for an unusually long time, and Ted worried that he had stepped too far, or if they were getting caught up in bad thoughts. “We will cope. Death is a part of life, and that is a simple fact. We will grieve yes, but it will not consume us. You, and Frank, and Indra are…” Ted cocked his head slightly. “You are very important to us. But, to be honest, your lifetimes of one or two hundred years - with this level of medicine - will be just a small blip in our incredibly long life. It worries us that over time, your memories will begin to seem unimportant, or that we will forget. But, we suppose that we will have to tackle that problem once we get to it.” Ted nodded slowly.

 

“That’s fair,” Ted said, and they lapsed into silence yet again.

 

“Humans…” Halman started after a pause, and Ted turned back to look at them. “Love and death are all you have. The same can't be said for us.” They turned to look at Ted. “But, perhaps that is changing.” Ted smiled at them.

 

“Yeah…”

 

Later, when he opened the door to his loved ones and his dear children, they ran up to him and threw themselves on him, yelling his name and pushing him to the floor as Indra and Frank laughed and piled themselves on top as well. And then when _Halman_ threw their mist on top as well was when Ted let out an indignant yell, before breaking out into breathless laughter.

 

**various locations, 30xx**

 

A little over thirty years have passed since he first met Frank Poole and fell in love, and it seemed so long ago. It was a strange, but stable life he had lived so far, and plenty of more years to stay strange and stable.

 

That was all destroyed with the monolith’s eclipse of Lucifer, though.

 

Frank had been staying at Ted’s place, and when Ted woke up to the alarms, he found Frank on the porch and then there was darkness and Halman - oh Deus Halman, Halman was gone - and Frank had broken down right there in Ted’s arms.

 

It was one month since that fateful day, and he opened the front door at the sound of knocking, disheveled and tired, and widened his eyes when he saw Frank and Indra. He smiled softly, and ran into their arms.

 

“Hey,” Indra said, patting him on the back. Ted smiled.

 

“Hey.”

 

**frank poole, dr. indra wallace, and dr. ted khan’s apartment, anubis city, ganymede, 30xx**

 

Being called “Papa Ted” by a 30-year-old woman was very strange, but he was more concentrated on hugging his grown children really hard (though it was hard, with them both being a foot taller than him) than silly nicknames.

 

It was never truly the same without Halman, and though he knew that Halman wasn’t truly dead, just sleeping, it concerned Ted nonetheless. What would Halman think if they woke up another thousand years in the future - having long missed the deaths of their loved ones.

 

However, there was barely any time to think about such things, as he had two lovely partners to be with, and olive groves to wander through, and grandchildren to dote on.

 

Ted often thought about what Halman had told him, long ago. Love and death, hm? Didn’t sound too bad to him.


End file.
